Who Can Program?
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I don't agree with Bill Gates and Jim. A great programmer is not always set in the first 3-4 years, sometimes it takes longer especially if they are teaching themselves the basics or sometimes it just all of a sudden clicks for some folks. I know for me some of the things I have done in the past are pure garbage by my current standards and except for maybe some of the concept terms I can go toe to toe with any of the developers I deal with. As well I am approached often by my peers for help or direction even thou I veiw myself as average and lacking. But I have the drive to know and do more and to push boundries as much as possible.
I have known many developers who could get a job done but the coding habbits were outdated and they really hadn't been forced to change. As well they get in companies where procedures and quality are not accounted for just the amount of work. Over a period of time these folks (who in their early career could have been genius) are consider poor coders. I think personality type also plays a lot into this as many don't have the drive to improve and surpase after a period.
Like hereos I think great programmers (at least those perceived as great) are generally backed into a corner where they either sink or swim. Those that swim best are perceived as the best even thou you might find they barely grasp as much as some of those that sank. Circumstances and willingness set the difference. And don't forget sometimes there are those who get accolades of praise but never did anything except be in the right place at the right moment.
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I agree with the article, from what I've seen it applies to DBAs and SysAdmins also. Some people just have an intuitive understanding of certain types of systems. If you ask them how they do it they do not have an answer.
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"If you ask them how they do it they do not have an answer."
So is that how you reconginize them?
I always say it comes from experience and willingness to look under the hood. A good driver can know there is something wrong with the car by the sounds and the way it feels, a great driver does the same way but can tell you from experience where it is most likely coming from and the greatest can give a list of possibly why.
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You guys...it's the CS discussion, a 'great' programmer IS someone who has a passion for computers.... When the dot com crap went belly up a few years ago i ended up doing many different things so I could eat (cooked, worked as a mechanic, sold mortgages, managed a retail store (UGGGGHHHH) and absolutely hated all of it. Now that I'm back to working in IT doing Development I don't go to work, I simply change the place I 'play' with the computer! Am I a 'great' programmer? I dunno, I think I'm pretty good (compared to some of the code I've maintained) but there is more to it that just writing code. The great ones seem to be able to look at a process and see the logical flow, how the data fits together, and how to make something functional out of it. It's that challenge that's got me know...
michael
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(I do think that you can learn to be a better DBA, however, and learn how set operations work. I think that MDX, however, presents a whole new level of learning. Just understanding how more than 3 dimensions might fit together is beyond most people and I'm not sure how well you can develop skills in this area.)
I see what you mean a trip to Kimbal Uinversity is on my budget in the next year so I can get best practices that includes ETL(extraction transformation and loading) with Dimension modeling which includes data automation in Asp.net.
Kind regards,
Gift Peddie -
"The great ones seem to be able to look at a process and see the logical flow, how the data fits together, and how to make something functional out of it."
I think this summarises it nicely and applies to whatever side of the development fence you sit on.
And Richards list of sevens types of developers is very thought provoking. I wonder where my peers would put me?
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Not wanting to be a kill joy, but it is obvious that Bill Gates is vocalizing wishful thinking .... or Microsoft hires and continues to employ not so great programmers ... evidence ... all the security problems Microsoft has had with its software....
To me if Bill Gates applied his tremendous ability to know whether a programmer was great or not ... Microsoft would not have the security problems it has been having since its inception ...
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I agreed with Bill Gates and I agreed with the article. Over the years I only met a few excellent programmers, they were the ones never stop learning and made things better.
Once a DBA told me a real good DBA was the one who devoted to make things better and learnt from the mistakes, keep up with the technology on their own. Most DBAs just do their job, when they make a mistake, they correct it and life goes on. I think it applies to a lot of programmers too. They do their job everyday and they learn new things because the job requires them to, not because they want to. How many programmers will think about to make the stored procedure run faster, to make the process go more smoothly, create less mistake ?
my 2 cents.
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I like the idea of being able to spend time to make the process smoother, or the stored procedure go faster, or the code more readable and maintainable and flexible.
BUT ...
If the client isn't paying for it, I'm not going to burn my free time hwlping them out. That is just a commercial reality.
There is bound to be a different side to the story for those that work "in house", where budgets work a little differently, who can sometimes take the time to improve existing systems. Unfortunately, that is a rare thing in my world. I'm more like a lawyer - every minute needs to be billed.
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Though I am a database application developer, too, I know that there is more than just database programs out there. There are great programmers writing device drivers or embedded code. We should not oversee them or take them as less good programmers.
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I am a programmer and have been doing this for years. I would like to say that a great programmer is someone that is fixated on how simply their program runs. If you write a program and do not worry about the little bugs here and there, then you will never be a great programmer.
I am not saying that I am a great programmer, but instead I am saying that I strive to be the best I can be. I will spend inordinate amounts of time testing my software. Not because I have to, but because I enjoy it. I am generally very proud of the work I have done and want to make sure that it runs the way I planned.
I would like to stress that knowing everything has nothing to do with being a great programmer. A great programmer will be humble.
So if you write code mearly because it pays then you might not ever achieve the goal of a being a great programmer. Instead if you write code because you love it, you might be well on your way.
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